Monty and Mabel’s after dark

Monty and Mabel’s, the dog-friendly café in Wilton which opened in April 2017, has launched a gin and cocktail bar, open every Friday and Saturday evening.

Owner Corinne Roberts had the idea for a new evening destination early in 2017 and applied for a permit to sell alcohol.

“The building lends itself perfectly to something like a gin bar. There’s a cosy relaxed atmosphere and the layout we have here works really well in the evenings,” said Corinne.

Monty and Mabel’s currently stocks more than 30 gins, but also sells cocktails, mocktails and other alcoholic beverages. Corinne believes it is the way the gins are served that sets Monty and Mabel’s apart. Each one is carefully matched with its corresponding tonic and garnish to bring out the particular botanicals in the gins.

“We work with the flavours of the specific gin to get the best out of each. It’s easy to put gin and tonic together, but there’s so much more you can get out of gin, and that’s what we try and do,” said Corinne.

And it’s not just humans who can enjoy the evenings; dogs are welcome, as always, and therefore entitled to have a drink. Pawsecco and Bottom-Sniffer Beers are available for furry friends to slurp on while guests enjoy their evening.

“We’ve had fantastic feedback already. People say the atmosphere is like a London gin bar and that they feel really relaxed.

“We play smooth jazz music which adds to the whole feel” Corinne said.

In Monty and Mabel’s itself the new menu and homemade cakes are proving very popular.

Plans are being made for more events, including workshops for adults and children which were a great success over the summer. In October, they are running a ‘Pets First-aid’ course to which all are welcome. There are also some craft events planned for the run up to christmas.

The gin nights are on Fridays and Saturdays until 11pm. The nearby bus stop has good links to Salisbury and local villages so no designated drivers are required.